Restoration or should that be reconstruction challenge

Normally I'm restoring tractors and vintage agricultural equipment from the 1940's onwards, now for something completely different. I've seen plenty of photos of rust and the like on T2's, but so far nothing as bad as the wreck I've managed to get.

I collected this just before Christmas 2017 as my other half has always fancied one and seeing as she puts up with the tractors and I like a good project I thought what the heck. It came with loads of history and receipts dating back to the 90's. I've had a couple months of welding and general metal bashing on it, but below is as collected and my initial poking around it. I will update with progress over the next couple weeks until it's up to date with where I am at the moment.

Oh and I do like a challenge, but what is the point where it's considered too far gone?

On arrival, it does look sorry for itself.

The bumper fell off then the battery fell out, sideways,,,,,

I was able to pull the rear side window out with my hands, complete with rubber, rust and filler. No tools needed.

The leaking rear side window resulted in the floor rusting away above the engine.

The sliding doors were rotted away completely at the top, no frame left, just the window.

The bottom had been re-skinned at some point but without repairing the inner fame, so the skin was just floating. Then the leaking windows had allowed water into the joint of the new skin and that had rusted away from the original door to leave a hole.

The engine blew a sparkplug out the RH cylinder head.

When I took the cylinder head off it was cracked between the two valves and the spark plug hole, plus the spark plug hole had previously had a thread insert fitted that had failed / stripped.

I needed this vehicle mobile for the next few months or so, so a temporary fix was required. I mounted the head in the mill and drilled a 16mm hole right through where the sparkplugs had been then made two top hat shaped bungs from aluminium pressed these into the head from outside in, tig welded it into place on the inside, and re-drilled and tapped the 14mm sparkplug holes. No more compression loss and the engine actually sounds sweet for this big botch. Requires deep reach sparkplugs now. New heads and cylinders to be ordered when I'm ready to tackle the engine properly.

The front panel is held on with body filler, the front floor is rusted through everywhere and the panel it joins to is also rusted so the whole thing flexes.

Needless to say both front doors are shot, both skin and frames gone at the bottom

Normally I'm restoring tractors and vintage agricultural equipment from the 1940's onwards, now for something completely different. I've seen plenty of photos of rust and the like on T2's, but so far nothing as bad as the wreck I've managed to get.

I collected this just before Christmas 2017 as my better half has always fancied one and seeing as she puts up with the tractors and I like a good project I thought what the heck. It came with loads of history and receipts dating back to the 90's. I've had a couple months of welding and general metal bashing on it, but below is as collected and my initial poking around it. I will update with progress over the next couple weeks until it's up to date with where I am at the moment.

Oh and I do like a challenge, but what is the point where it's considered too far gone?

On arrival, it does look sorry for itself.

The bumper fell off then the battery fell out, sideways,,,,,

I was able to pull the rear side window out with my hands, complete with rubber, rust and filler. No tools needed.

The leaking rear side window resulted in the floor rusting away above the engine.

The sliding doors were rotted away completely at the top, no frame left, just the window.

The bottom had been re-skinned at some point but without repairing the inner fame, so the skin was just floating. Then the leaking windows had allowed water into the joint of the new skin and that had rusted away from the original door to leave a hole.

The engine blew a sparkplug out the RH cylinder head.

When I took the cylinder head off it was cracked between the two valves and the spark plug hole, plus the spark plug hole had previously had a thread insert fitted that had failed / stripped.

I needed this vehicle mobile for the next few months or so, so a temporary fix was required. I mounted the head in the mill and drilled a 16mm hole right through where the sparkplugs had been then made two top hat shaped bungs from aluminium pressed these into the head from outside in, tig welded it into place on the inside, and re-drilled and tapped the 14mm sparkplug holes. No more compression loss and the engine actually sounds sweet for this big botch. Requires deep reach sparkplugs now. New heads and cylinders to be ordered when I'm ready to tackle the engine properly.

The front panel is held on with body filler, the front floor is rusted through everywhere and the panel it joins to is also rusted so the whole thing flexes.

Needless to say both front doors are shot, both skin and frames gone at the bottom

It looks like a panel, and that dont look like a Westy roof, in fact if it were they didn't fit them to vans, when finished would the time and effort be worth the end result?

It is not my intention with any of my threads/posts to offend or insult any individual or group in any way. If I were to cause such insult /offence please PM me and the offending item will be removed. I will not be offended/insulted by any such request, nor will I be offended or insulted by anything else for that matter!
T&C may apply

I know what you mean but the work would be the same if you picked up say a pre 60 split or better still a 912 and for less work the end result would be a better return for your effort

It is not my intention with any of my threads/posts to offend or insult any individual or group in any way. If I were to cause such insult /offence please PM me and the offending item will be removed. I will not be offended/insulted by any such request, nor will I be offended or insulted by anything else for that matter!
T&C may apply

It is not my intention with any of my threads/posts to offend or insult any individual or group in any way. If I were to cause such insult /offence please PM me and the offending item will be removed. I will not be offended/insulted by any such request, nor will I be offended or insulted by anything else for that matter!
T&C may apply

He could have stayed at home and dreamed he wa dying in the cold after racing fruitlessly to the pole!

Click to expand...

Ive done restos like that, wished I had stayed on the sofa

It is not my intention with any of my threads/posts to offend or insult any individual or group in any way. If I were to cause such insult /offence please PM me and the offending item will be removed. I will not be offended/insulted by any such request, nor will I be offended or insulted by anything else for that matter!
T&C may apply